A US show of force will not be enough

By Ted Belman

Contrary to what I wrote in The New MIddle East, DEBKA today reports that,

Abu Mazen will offer to ditch US sponsorship and accept Syria backing for a Palestinian unity government and a rapprochement with Hamas.

[..] Hosni Mubarak reported he had sent President George W. Bush details of a new Egyptian peace proposal as an alternative to the road map, which he said had failed.

[..] Avigdor Lieberman informed her that Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip to halt the stream of missiles against Israel was inevitable

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress Friday that Iranians are now on the US target list in Iraq. He spoke of an “aggressive ground campaign” against Iranian networks operating inside Iraq. The Pentagon has also referred to possible cross-border raids into Iran, but so far none has been approved.

Attempts to disrupt these networks combine with the decision to send a second aircraft carrier, the USS John. C. Stennis, to the Persian Gulf as a warning to Iran plus a Patriot air defense missile battalion to the Middle East and the deployment of a large number of warplanes in the Turkish base of Incirlik.

A US military spokesman has said the two carrier strike groups will not just be showing force but actively involved in combat operations and providing air support across the region.

and finally

Saturday night, Pentagon sources were not holding out much hope that American military preparations would deter Iran from meddling in Iraq or reduce Iran-backed networks’ attacks on US and British forces.

Thus it is fair to say that there will be force escalation before success is achieved. Victory will not come easily or cheaply. I stand by my words in the quoted article,

Bush has decided to win. He will continue to escalate until he does.